My neighbour paid a contracter to replace 4 of 8 fence panels at the side of my property. The new posts and gravel boards are concrete. The other 4 panels (old) have wooden posts, no gravel boards and have seen better days. The old panels are behind the neighbour's hedge and out of their sight. My neighbour is responsible for all 8 panels.

I was given no notification of this work and my back gate is now harder to shut as it was fixed to an old panel (now replaced). Incidentally, a latch on my gate was bent (presumably by contracter) to try and make it shut.

However, my main problem is the new gravel boards are staggered in height (to combat a slight ground gradient) and have been propped up on half bricks and bits of stone to attain levelness. This has created big gaps (3 to 4 inches in places) between the soil and the boards. Debris will inevitably fall through onto the path running alongside my property. It also looks very unsightly and unprofessional on the contractors behalf. The soil should've been dug out and levelled beforehand.

I'm wondering if my neighbour has any responsibility to ensure that the gravel board gaps are put right?

I'm not on speaking terms with my neighbour as a result of a previous garden related issue on their property. I suspect this is why I was given no notice.

I could probably do the corrective work myself but would need my neighbour's permission to do so. I'm doubtful I'd get this permission and part of me thinks why should I have to do this - they've created the problem.

I would appreciate anyone's advice, ideas or previous experience of similar situations please? Also a steer on the legal side would be useful too if possible.

Depending on your soil and your energy levels i would suggest you aquire via freecycle a load of 18 inch square paving slabs And sink them into the ground tight up to offending gravel boards / bricks and hide the mess plus stop the soil fall through

You could even use cement to secure them to the base of the gravel boards and effectively stick 2 fingers up to the neighbour

despair wrote:Depending on your soil and your energy levels i would suggest you aquire via freecycle a load of 18 inch square paving slabs And sink them into the ground tight up to offending gravel boards / bricks and hide the mess plus stop the soil fall through

You could even use cement to secure them to the base of the gravel boards and effectively stick 2 fingers up to the neighbour

not a bad suggestion - and one you might want to consider because the neighbour is not obliged to sort out the gaps (and unless an avalanche pours through, it would be futile to try and recover the minimal cost of removing the bits of debris that might occasionally fall onto your path).

is it worth having a word with him about the contractor he chose - mention the damage to your gate? in case he decides to replace the remainder...

despair wrote:Depending on your soil and your energy levels i would suggest you aquire via freecycle a load of 18 inch square paving slabs And sink them into the ground tight up to offending gravel boards / bricks and hide the mess plus stop the soil fall through

You could even use cement to secure them to the base of the gravel boards and effectively stick 2 fingers up to the neighbour

not a bad suggestion - and one you might want to consider because the neighbour is not obliged to sort out the gaps (and unless an avalanche pours through, it would be futile to try and recover the minimal cost of removing the bits of debris that might occasionally fall onto your path).

is it worth having a word with him about the contractor he chose - mention the damage to your gate? in case he decides to replace the remainder...

Kind regards, Mac

+1 though I would not speak to the neighbour, I would just fix the garden and move on from it.

My neighbour paid a contracter to replace 4 of 8 fence panels at the side of my property. The new posts and gravel boards are concrete. The other 4 panels (old) have wooden posts, no gravel boards and have seen better days. The old panels are behind the neighbour's hedge and out of their sight. My neighbour is responsible for all 8 panels.

I was given no notification of this work and my back gate is now harder to shut as it was fixed to an old panel (now replaced). Incidentally, a latch on my gate was bent (presumably by contracter) to try and make it shut.

However, my main problem is the new gravel boards are staggered in height (to combat a slight ground gradient) and have been propped up on half bricks and bits of stone to attain levelness. This has created big gaps (3 to 4 inches in places) between the soil and the boards. Debris will inevitably fall through onto the path running alongside my property. It also looks very unsightly and unprofessional on the contractors behalf. The soil should've been dug out and levelled beforehand.

I'm wondering if my neighbour has any responsibility to ensure that the gravel board gaps are put right?

I'm not on speaking terms with my neighbour as a result of a previous garden related issue on their property. I suspect this is why I was given no notice.

I could probably do the corrective work myself but would need my neighbour's permission to do so. I'm doubtful I'd get this permission and part of me thinks why should I have to do this - they've created the problem.

I would appreciate anyone's advice, ideas or previous experience of similar situations please? Also a steer on the legal side would be useful too if possible.

Thanks for reading.

A panel is not best suited to hanging or latching a gate to, even more so if it is someone else's panel. There's several ways to fix the gravel boards at minimal cost and effort - they all require the agreement of the neighbour, a photo might help to give better advice.

On the four remaining panels, don't be tempted to do anything on your own land - a second fence.

I'd need to lay about two layers of slabs to reach the correct height so unfortunately not an option in my case.The gate fixed to the panel isn't ideal (was like that when we moved in). I plan to fix it to a free standing post.

I had thought about cutting sections of slabs to fit the gaps and cementing in place but this might end up looking like a mosaic. I think i'll back the soil up for now and monitor it.

123 wrote:However, my main problem is the new gravel boards are staggered in height (to combat a slight ground gradient) and have been propped up on half bricks and bits of stone to attain levelness. This has created big gaps (3 to 4 inches in places) between the soil and the boards. Debris will inevitably fall through onto the path running alongside my property. It also looks very unsightly and unprofessional on the contractors behalf. The soil should've been dug out and levelled beforehand.

Without more information or better still a photo, you're not going to get the best/correct advice, for instance, a 6"x1" timber gravel board could be pinned/pegged in place. What is absolutely certain is that trying to use an 18" or 2' paving slab on edge to cure a 3-4" gap is complete lunacy!